10. Hazard PayThe first time you watch the episode Hazard Pay, the show may not seem too important in the whole scheme of things, but it's impossible to come out of the episode without feeling uneasy about the future of your favorite character. During the episode, Walt finds himself running a new drug empire after refusing to give up the meth business and the chance at more money, Jesse refuses to leave Mr. White's side, though it's obvious the new scheme isn't a good idea after several near death escapes, Mike is refusing to give up on his men and the money they were owed despite knowing Walter is in over his head with the new plan, and Skyler has an infamous breakdown at the car wash while talking with Marie where she excessively screams, "Shut up!" at her sister. The end of the episode is as ominous as any in the show's history with Walt and Jesse talking about how Gus may have killed Victor because he "flew too close to the sun."
9. Pilot
One of the best episodes of Breaking Bad was the first. The pilot started with Walt desperately driving away from what the viewer can assume is the cops in an RV loaded with meth equipment. The RV soon wrecks from Walter's hectic driving, and Walt momentarily thinks about killing himself before holding the gun as though he's is ready for a shootout with the police. This would be a theme throughout the series showing that Walt would do anything to survive and continue working for his family, and the episode also offered a good look into why Mr. White was so desperate to enter the meth business in the first place. If he only knew then how bad it would get just one year later, you have to think he may have made some different choices along the way.
While Hermanos featured some great rising action in the drama to come at the end of the season, as Hank and the DEA continued to close in on Gustavo Fring's meth operation, one of the most important scenes in the show's history is featured in this episode. In a flashback to 1989, a much younger Fring is seen sitting at a poolside table with his chicken business partner, Max Arciniega, while a young Tio walks in and urinates in the pool in front of the duo. When Don Eladio Vuente and the rest of his men walk in, it's quickly clear the Mexcian cartel operation is not pleased with Gus and his friend, and the Don eventually kills Max and forces Fring to watch his dead partner bleed out into the pool. The intense scene shows a dramatic look into Fring's past and how he became the cold-blooded killer now featured as a primary antagonist in the show
Crazy Handful of Nothin' was an action-packed episode that featured numerous firsts for the series that would unfold over its duration. The episode introduced two new characters: Skinny Pete, as one of Jesse's friends that would be featured throughout the show and would introduce him to the maniacal second drug boss in the state of New Mexico, and Tuco, the previously mentioned loco number one. Jesse arrives with a load of meth to sell to Tuco after Mr. White persists with a terrible idea to find a new dealer for one of the first times in the show's early tenure, and Tuco turns down Jesse's offer and leaves him a bloody and beaten mess on the floor and takes his drugs in the process. When Walt learns what happens, he shaves his head and equips himself with what appears to be a new batch of meth and his trademarked hat and shades to give Tuco a visit himself. After nearly blowing up Tuco's entire office, a deal is worked out and Heisenberg makes himself known for the first time, for better or worse.
The second part of The Cat's in the Bag titles deals with the aftermath of some bad events for Walt and Jesse, while the two clean up Jesse's house and decide what to do with the drug dealer trapped in the basement. The episode also features a few other good scenes away from this action as Skyler gets a suspicion that Walt is smoking pot with Jesse, Hank misunderstands the message and attempts to scare Walt Jr. away from pot and fans get a flashback of Walt's early chemistry career while talking with his friend Gretchen about the anatomy of a human. The most important scenes feature Walt and Krazy 8 in the basement, as Walt desperately tries to find reason not to kill the drug dealer, but is ultimately forced to do the deed when he discovers a missing plate shard is being hidden from him.
Salud features an incredible plan that unfolds over the duration of the episode as contrived by Gustavo Fring. The business man decides to meet with the Mexican cartel and give them Jesse as a cook in good faith that his meth operation will then be left alone. This allows Gus, Mike and Jesse to get close to the important members of the team that includes Don Eladio. Fring then gives the cartel a gift of a poison drink at a poolside party in the same location where his partner was killed many years before. Fring is able to pull off his plan successfully but becomes damaged himself before vomiting up most of the poison in his body. Mike is shot as the trio attempt to escape the home, leading to an exciting race against the clock as Jesse tries to get them to a nearby medical facility owned by Fring. All of this action is countered nicely by an emotional story shared by Walt with Walt Jr. about his only memories of his dying father.
Fly was one of the most unique episodes featured in the entire Breaking Bad series. The full episode featured a more comedic look at the series, as Walt, who is later joined by Jesse, attempts to rid the lab of an external contaminant aka a housefly. The episode features scenes of slapstick, satire and even horror, while the two attempt to kill the fly with any means necessary, but they mostly end up hurting each other before finally sharing a touching moment right before killing and extracting the culprit. Walt awakens at home later that night to buzzing and finds a fly sitting atop a blinking light on his fire detector.
Ozymandias features the first ending for the series after Hank is killed right before Walt's eyes, while he is powerless to stop it. After the heavy shootout is over, the gang takes Walter's money and Jesse Pinkman while promising to kill him later. Walt then heads home and attempts to convince his family to pack their bags and disappear with him, but both Skyler and Walter Jr. fight off a frantic and crazed Walt before he runs out the door carrying his daughter, Holly. Walt later calls his family back to apologize one last time before leaving Holly at a local fire station and leaving New Mexico, his family, Jesse and most of his money behind for good.
Face Off is the ultimate episode for action and suspense for the entire series. The episode ends the fourth season with a tremendous bang when Walt comes up with a plan to kill Fring by using his most hated enemy, Tio. Fring arrives at the nursing home to confront the former Mexican cartel member after what he believed to be the elder ratting out his operation to the cops, though Tio actually told the DEA nothing. Walt equips Tio's wheelchair with a bomb that had failed to kill Gus in the previous episode, and Tio activates the bomb with the bell on his wheelchair taking out himself, Gus and a henchman in the explosion. Fring later exits the room, adjusts his tie and reveals where the explosion has ripped his Face Off before collapsing in a heap. The end of the episode also reveals that Walt had been behind the poisoning of Jesse's little friend, Brock, as the fourth season wraps up.
Felina, which is Spanish for feline or catlike, may or may not have anything to do with the cat seen at the very end of Ozymandias, but there aren't many that would dare call Walter White a pussycat after the way the man meets his death at the end of the episode. Walter manages to finally secure a method to give his family financial security and help Skyler avoid jail time all before freeing Jesse from the gang that had held him captive over the last several months while Mr. White was in hiding. All of this happens while a broken and defeated Walter White finally admits to his shortcomings and apologizes to the people he has done wrong during the show's tenure. Breaking Bad was a fantastic series, and it's fitting that the show would end with the best episode the series has ever aired.